


Together

by Otumeel



Series: SDau [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Other, sdau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 08:59:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16260941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otumeel/pseuds/Otumeel
Summary: The ending of Dream Drop Distance in the SDau, Riku is chosen as the 13th vessel and it's up to Kairi to prevent her friend from becoming completely lost to the darkness.





	Together

The sickly feeling of darkness filled the room, Riku sleeping in one of the chairs trapped within his own nightmare. “Riku!” Kairi yelled, hoping that against everything he would stir and wake. She ran towards him as a young Xehanort appeared, flinging her away and back onto the platform.

 

“Do not touch my new vessel.”

 

“Your new vessel? Oh Light no, you're not touching him!” She summoned her keyblade and charged towards the yellow eyed pain in the ass, swinging it hard only to be flung off again.

 

“You truly never learn, do you? You cannot protect your friends from the darkness that has already claimed them.” His monotone voice rippled through the room. “The original thirteenth, Sora- or better said Roxas, now that was a worthy candidate.”

 

“Unfortunate he was….. disposed of, along with his particular resistance to the darkness. Truly a shame.” Stepping onto the platform he continued.

 

“The true goal of Organization 13 was to divide Xehanort’s heart among thirteen vessels, and thanks to you and Riku we learned that not all were up to the task. However we were able to make up the difference, and now the finale vessel is within our grasp.”

 

As he finished the cloaked vessels warped into the room, the younger Xehanort watched as Kairi’s eyes followed the spawning Norts.

 

“That's insane!” She glared, the Xehanort before her continuing his monologue on time travel and how it works.

 

“Soon, my futuremost self will arrive, and time will continue as it should. He can vouch for that.” Gesturing towards the chair were he would materialize, darkness oozing off if it.

 

“You sure like to go off on everything. Too bad you won't go on about how we stop you this time.” Kairi glared as a flash of light shot through the room, a familiar pair of ears appearing as a spell was cast.

 

“Stopza!”

 

The room encased in a blue and purple sphere as the mouse ran up to her. “I’m glad I'm not too late!” He called to her. “Hurry and grab Riku, I can't stop them for long.” Kairi nodded, sprinting towards where Riku was sitting.

 

“I said hands off.” A voice growled as Mickey went flying past her.

 

“How are you still moving?” Kairi shouted in response, summoning her own Keyblade as he brandished his, darkness dripping off of his form as he shifted the terrain into an clocklike glass plane.

 

He charged towards her, disappearing and appearing behind her turning last second to block the swing as their keyblades gritted together, the dream eaters by her side pushing him away as he returned to the ball of darkness and was spat out once again behind her.

 

Creating a shield she darted forward swinging her blade into his side, her dream eaters attempting to aid in her sudden change to offense. The clashing of light and dark magic creating blinding and disorienting flashes.

 

As Kairi would dodge and counter, Xehanort would send flying shards of whatever magic he had switched to until suddenly shifting behind her in an attempt to end the obnoxious plan disrupting keyblade wielder.

 

Their fight grew longer as Xehanort attempted to rewind time, the reality shift putting an easy stop to it each time until he managed to actually cast the spell.

 

Summoning the balloons that she had used only jokingly before she launched them at the clock as Xehanort launched towards her, only blocking a few of the balloons from reaching the clock as it shattered, returning them both to their original location.

 

“Kairi! Are you alright?” Mickey ran up to her, “Okay as I can be while Riku’s still here.” She frowned, casting cure as Mickey’s stop spell wore off.

 

A sinister chuckling filled the room as they turned towards the tallest chair, Master Xehanort sneering down at the two light wielders.

 

“Master Xehanort! It was you!” Mickey yelled up to him angrily, a smirk growing on the old man's face.

 

“Indeed.” He drew out the word, watching the two’s reactions with a grand entertainment.

 

“All of this was decided. My 12 selves should greet me on this day, when my return was finally complete.”

 

“Why are you doing this!”

 

Mickey’s shout was ignored as Xehanort continued, “Kingdom hearts was locked by its counterpart, the X-blade, and swallowed by the darkness in which it remains. And the X-blade; shattered into twenty pieces, seven of light and thirteen of darkness. I had once attempted to create my own pure light and darkness, it had ended in failure. I had lost sight of my true goal, and acted rashly because of it.” His smirk turned wider as he watched the two, Mickey clenched his fists in anger.

 

“What you did back then- your mistakes, they changed the destinies of three of my friends!”

 

“Ah, but destiny is never left to chance. I merely led them to their proper places.” Xehanort smiled as he recalled the old apprentices.

 

“The broken boy who failed to be the blade, The misguided master who sacrificed herself for a friend…..” Xehanort trailed before he sat up, wiggling his hand through the air.

 

“And the feckless youth who became my new vessel.”

 

“I have orchestrated this since the beginning, though the death of Sora was not foreseen, but welcome nonetheless. I have gathered the thirteen darknesses to their proper places and now, the thirteenth vessel shall bare my heart like all the rest!”

 

Xehanort gestured towards the seat Riku sat in, summoning his keyblade as the chair began its rumbling ascent.

 

“No!” Mickey dashed forwards, bouncing between the chairs as Xemnas materialized behind him and pinned him to the chair.

 

“Riku!” Kairi shouted, summoning her keyblade and darting forward as the Young Xehanort knocked her to the ground.

 

She desperately struggled to get up as her face was pushed into the ground, Master Xehanort launching his heart at the sleeping Riku.

 

“No!” Kairi shouted, her mind racing as she watched with the same feeling of helplessness she felt a year before.

 

A sudden blur of black darted in between the heart and Riku, Kairi’s eyes widening as an explosion rippled from the chair.

 

The remnant darkness smoking off of the cloaked form that emerged as they pushed off their hood, revealing an older and battle worn Sora, his hair shaggy  and a mess of poorly kept braids with Riku slung easily over his shoulder.

 

“He made it!” Mickey yelled relieved as his captor looked up towards the explosion “You…” Xemnas’s eyes softened slightly as the rest of his face continued its glare.

 

Sora’s normally soft and warm eyes had changed, eerily cold and sharp as he glared at Xehanort, his voice deeper and harsh as it echoed across the room.

 

“Didya miss me?” He boomed, looking please with himself as Xehanort’s triumphant look melted into one of annoyance.

 

“How are you still alive? We had Axel wipe you off of the face of the worlds!” Xigbar yelled in outrage.

 

“That was Roxas you see, I’m Sora, hard to tell the difference I know, but you should also know it's hard to get rid of someone with promises to keep.”

 

Sora shrugged, a cocky grin that didn't quite fit him stretched across his face.

 

“Or are you just pouting cause I disrupted your big speech? You should have learned at this point, you'll need more than thirteen vessels by the time I’m done with you.”

 

Using Sora’s distraction she summoned her keyblade and swung it towards Xehanort as Mickey escaped Xemnas’s grasp and landed beside her. She turned back towards Sora, unable to keep the grin that stretched across her face as she saw the boy she grew up with for the first time in years.

 

“We’re out of time! What now you old coot?” Xigbar shouted from his seat in irritation.

 

Master Xehanort ignored him as he motioned to one of the hooded figures who then darted towards Sora, their weapon drawn as they slung it down heavily, Sora holding his keyblade in a vaguely familiar fashion as the figures hood flitted off, Sora’s cocky grin turning to one of mixed hurt and regret.

 

“Demyx…”

 

Sora dipped beneath his sitar, causing the vessel to stumble forwards as he swung his keyblade into his side, pushing himself off of the chair and to the platform below, landing next to Kairi with a small and soft troubled smile.

 

“What are you doing here Sora?” Kairi questioned, disbelief tinting her voice.

 

“Protecting my friends how I can, friend of mine warned me that these crazy old bats were up to something, and that you two were in the middle of it.” Sora recalled his keyblade as the vessels began to drop down, Ansem summoning the Guardian and sending it towards them, Kairi pulling Sora away as Mickey was grabbed.

 

The two clasped each other's hands tightly as they scrambled to find a way out of the mess they were plunged in before a familiar screaming filled the room with a similar, less elegant light as Donald and Goofy dropped onto the Guardian, knocking Mickey out of its hand in a oddly placed stroke of luck.

 

“Were we supposed to do that?” Donald garbled from where he landed. “I think so.” Goofy trailed rubbing his head as the surrounding Xehanorts began to dissipate.

 

“And so we are out of time, and the union of neither Light nor Dark has been achieved, and we shall all return from whence we came.” Xehanort smiled as he began to fade.

 

“Let us finished this at the Fated place, where your Light and my Darknesses are joined together.” The glint in his eyes as he finally disappeared was visible to all of them, a breath of relief passing through the guardians of the light despite the unsettling knowledge gained from the encounter.

 

“We need to tell Master Yensid.” Mickey stated as Donald and Goofy stood up, their eyes finding the older Sora and charging at him with shouts of disbelief.

 

“Sora! You’re okay! Where have you been we've been worried sick!” Donald squawked angrily as Goofy wrapped the boy in a hug.

 

“Yeah Sora, where were you. How are you- well, You again?” Kairi chimed in her eyebrows knitted in concern.

 

“I’ve been working, helping out Merlin and the gang.” Sora shrugged dispelling his blade and returning the hug.

 

“How long was that for? Why didn't you tell us that you were okay? Sora you have no idea what we went through after you died _again_!” Kairi interrogated, the paper thin smile that Sora was holding melted in his response as his demeanor grew darker.

 

“You don't know the whole story Kairi, I couldn't- just, there's more than what i I can explain right now. I wanted to go back to you guys, I just couldn't, not like this.” He shifted Riku on his shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided their eyes.

 

“We should start heading back and find out what they did to Riku.” Sora opened a portal and disappeared into the dark, the rest of the group looking on with concern.

 

Eventually they reached the Mysterious Tower, Sora almost blending in with the shadows that danced along the walls of Yensid’s office.

 

Exhaustion radiating off of the group as Yensid glared in disapproval of the one time organization member who was still too closely tied with the darkness for his liking.

 

“This is most troublesome indeed.” Yensid mused after Kairi finished informing him of the events in the test. “Master Xehanort has been busy.”

 

Kairi, Sora, and Mickey looked upon Riku in concern, “Don’t tell me your heart’s sleeping too.” Mickey said sadly looking helpless.

 

An uneasy flutter found its way into Sora’s chest, knowing far too well what- rather who he was speaking about.

 

“No, Mickey. This affliction is not the same.” Yensid shook his head somberly.

 

“Can’t we do anything?” Kairi pressed in response, looking from Riku to Sora who was avoiding all eye contact as he almost seemed to melt into the shadows in which he hid.

 

“In your mark of mastery exam you were to unlock seven Sleeping Keyholes. By doing so you would unlock those worlds from their prison of slumber, and also acquire the power to free a heart from its sleep. Kairi, you unlocked those Keyholes within Riku’s dreams. Therefore it stands to reason that you now have the power to awaken Riku’s heart.”

 

“You want her to dive back into Riku’s sleep?” Mickey questioned face twisted in deeper concern.

 

“But Master, Riku’s heart is down in the darkest abyss. If Kairi’s not careful, she might just get trapped down there with him. No… I’ll go instead” He argued as Yensid walked over to the group huddled around Riku’s sleeping form.

 

“And perhaps you may even succeed Mickey. But there is no denying Kairi stands the better chance, as the time that she has spent already in Riku’s heart.” Yensid explained, Mickey deflating as Kairi watched Riku’s sleeping face.

 

“Thanks Mickey, but I can do this. Nothing that I haven't seen before, just similar things in a different form.” Turning towards Sora and extending her hand.

 

“We’ll wake him up together; two lights are better than one aren't they.” She smiled as Sora hesitantly took hold of her hand, walking over to her side as they stood in front of Riku.

 

“Together?” Sora questioned softly, unsteady as he watched with unease written clearly across his face.

 

“Together.”


End file.
